You Are Here

Secret Lake Stories

Secret Lake Stories is a soundwork by sound designer and composer Emily Zurowski, recorded on and around a small, enclosed body of water known locally as the Secret Lake, on the border of Levenshulme and Reddish in Greater Manchester. Largely hidden from surrounding streets and reached by footpaths through scrub and woodland, the lake sits within a patchwork of former industrial land, housing, railway edges and informal green space. The piece is centred on the voices of people who know the lake well and spend time there: walkers, neighbours and those who return to it regularly. Their reflections, memories and observations are interwoven with field recordings made at the site, capturing water movement, birdsong and distant human activity. The lake itself originated as part of an industrial-era water system, later falling out of use and gradually becoming rewilded. Over time it has developed into a quiet, unofficial local landmark, shaped as much by neglect and chance as by design. Best experienced on headphones. * Composed and created by Emily Zurowski  * Produced for Levenshulme Old Library * Executive producer - Richard V. Hirst * Recorded on location in 2025 at the Secret Lake To find out more, visit levenshulmeoldlibrary.org.uk [http://levenshulmeoldlibrary.org.uk/].

3.2 - Field Notes: Lease | Moves | Slower

Lease | Moves | Slower (Chapel Street Park Soundscape) Sound design by Oscillate An audio piece created using field recordings gathered in Chapel Street Park Tucked behind terraced streets, not far from the railway, between a primary school and a pub, Chapel Street Park is a quiet, open space threaded with memory and movement. This soundscape brings together the ambient textures of the park, creating a layered listening experience that captures the pace and rhythms of the place. Part of You Are Here, a podcast from Levenshulme Old Library featuring five original short stories, soundscapes, and audio portraits inspired by Levenshulme’s parks and green spaces. Produced by Levenshulme Old Library, commissioned by The Space and supported by Arts Council England. Explore the full project here: levenshulmeoldlibrary.org.uk/you-are-here [https://levenshulmeoldlibrary.org.uk/you-are-here] We’d love to hear what you think - share your feedback here [https://uk.culturecounts.cc/s/4Ccpij].

3.1 - A Portrait of a Park: Chapel Street Park

Chapel Street Park – Portrait of the Park Produced by Levenshulme Old Library Sound design by Oscilloscope Tucked behind houses and running alongside the railway, Chapel Street Park is a small, open space with a quiet kind of presence - a place of memory and movement. In this portrait, we hear reflections from writer Hette Phillips and a local volunteer, each offering their own perspective on the park’s atmosphere, its role in everyday life, and the connections that form quietly in shared spaces. Part of You Are Here, a podcast from Levenshulme Old Library featuring five original short stories, soundscapes, and portraits inspired by Levenshulme’s parks and green spaces. Produced by Levenshulme Old Library, commissioned by The Space and supported by Arts Council England Explore the full project: levenshulmeoldlibrary.org.uk/you-are-here [https://levenshulmeoldlibrary.org.uk/you-are-here] We’d love to hear what you think - share your feedback here [https://uk.culturecounts.cc/s/4Ccpij].

3.0 - Lignum Vitae - Hette Phillips

Lignum Vitae Written and performed by Hette Phillips Set in Chapel Street Park A park watches the people who pass through: the ones who gather, the ones who grieve, the ones who disappear. With a voice that is slow, patient and rooted, Lignum Vitae unfolds as a quiet observation of life from the perspective of a place that is always changing but always the same. Set in Chapel Street Park, this is a story about memory, connection, and how the land itself carries the lives that move across it. Hette Phillips is a poet, fiction writer and artist based in Levenshulme. Her work has been published by Dostoyevsky Wannabe and For Books Sake. You Are Here is a podcast from Levenshulme Old Library featuring five original short stories inspired by Levenshulme’s parks and green spaces. Levenshulme Old Library is a community-led arts and culture space in South Manchester. Based in a former Carnegie library, it supports local creativity through workshops, performances and place-based storytelling projects that reflect the neighbourhood’s unique character and voices. The podcast is produced by Levenshulme Old Library, commissioned by The Space, and supported by Arts Council England. Series editor: Richard V. Hirst Production and sound design: Oscillate. Explore the full project at: levenshulmeoldlibrary.org.uk/you-are-here [https://levenshulmeoldlibrary.org.uk/you-are-here] We’d love to hear what you think - share your feedback here [https://uk.culturecounts.cc/s/4Ccpij].

2.2 - Field Notes: Fears | Boring | Chip

Fears | Boring | Chip (Nutsford Vale Soundscape) Sound design by Oscillate A soundscape created using field recordings gathered in Nutsford Vale Nutsford Vale sits in a quiet dip between roads and houses - once a clay pit, later a landfill, now a park. It’s a place shaped by layers, histories and reinvention. This soundscape gathers sounds and textures from the park, creating a layered, atmospheric reflection of the space as it is and was. Part of You Are Here, a podcast from Levenshulme Old Library featuring five original short stories, soundscapes, and audio portraits inspired by Levenshulme’s parks and green spaces. Produced by Levenshulme Old Library, commissioned by The Space and supported by Arts Council England. Explore the full project here: levenshulmeoldlibrary.org.uk/you-are-here [https://levenshulmeoldlibrary.org.uk/you-are-here] We’d love to hear what you think — share your feedback here [https://uk.culturecounts.cc/s/4Ccpij].